The Fires of The Last Dragonlord
by acekanigirl
Summary: The Great Dragon tells Merlin about his father and convinces Merlin to set him free. With Camelot in danger and families reunited, everyone will have to put their loyalty to family, Camelot, and each other to the test. AU to Fires of Idirsholas and The Last Dragonlord. Slight Mergana.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, thanks already for being interested in this story! It's my first time writing Merlin (unless you count insane crossover crack-fic, but I'm not sure that taught me anything about characterization :P) so feel free to review or drop a pm with any comments on how I'm portraying these guys.**

** The idea itself was a plotbunny I had while trying to plan out another fic, which will hopefully be coming up sometime in the next few weeks. This is a multichapter fic that takes place before The Fires of Idirsholas and The Last Dragonlord, and will kind of blend the two together. Therefore Morgana is in Camelot and still good, as personally I think she's confused about magic but doesn't turn evil until she stays with Morgause.**

** Well, that's all the info I'll give you on the story (you'll have to read the rest yourself :P). Again feel free to leave a review with tips and errors, just don't be rude and send a flame. If you don't like the story when you're done then why are you wasting your time to rant about it?**

** Enjoy!**

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><p>It was a cloudy and foreboding night in the city of Camelot where two raven haired sorcerers tossed and turned in their respective chambers; both unaware of the other's suffering. The Lady Morgana slept in the royal's quarters, asleep and dreaming as seers often did, her breath rasping and her brow burning as she saw the pain of the future ahead.<p>

_The skies were pitch black above the castle fortress, soldiers and guards positioned in the posts they only took if the city was under siege. Morgana looked down on the central courtyard from a view she knew all too well, as she often spent her days watching the hustle and bustle of the city from her bedroom window. But no one was moving outside now, and she began to squint her eyes to make out any shapes in the black pool of midnight when a column of orange flame fell from the heavens, illuminating and burning her entire view at the same time, and in one moment shaking the foundations of the home she had made her life in._

_ The fire was followed by the sound of the flapping of wings, and she gasped as a creature unlike anything she had ever seen before lowered itself down into what had once been a plaza, looking around as if searching for anymore life to destroy. The beast was larger than her bedroom and shined with scales that looked like they were made of gold, only the color was slightly off, and when Morgana looked into its large eyes of the same color she recognized why it seemed so familiar. It was the color of sorcerer's eyes when they used magic, the color of her eyes in her darkest nightmares._

_ The dragon, she assumed, since nothing of such magnificence and horror could be anything but the feared creatures Uther had purged, seemed satisfied that it had indeed killed all of the citizens in the area and landed in the middle of the courtyard, taking up most of Camelot's largest square. It stood right where the execution block normally stood, lifted its head, and let out a roar that again shook both the foundations and Morgana herself to the core. When the creature finally lowered its head, it gazed straight through her window, and into her terrified eyes._

_ A cold voice whispered through the night, yet it echoed through Morgana's mind as if the creature was screaming. The one word, the name, though not her own, made Morgana's blood run cold._

_ 'Merlin'._

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><p>The young warlock, while in his own bed, was having the opposite problem of the noblewoman several floors above him. No matter how long he simply lay there, or whether he moved about to make himself feel more comfortable on the hard, straw mattress, Merlin simply could not fall asleep. His limbs felt like stone and his mind could barely process his thoughts, yet relief from the day's chores simply would not come to him.<p>

Merlin suppressed a groan as he flipped his body over, closing his eyes once again, only for a bright flash to dance across his eyelids as a bolt of lightning crashed against the top of one of the nearby towers. Turning back away from the small window in his room, he ran out of energy halfway through the motion and ended up on his stomach with his arms spread out, hoping that sleep would soon take him.

Just as everything else in Merlin's life, the worst possible thing to happen did, in the form of a rumbling voice, pulsing through his sleep-deprived head and pulling him ever so further away from the sweet land of dreams.

'_Merlin'._ Said warlock replied only by squeezing his eyes shut. Ever since the dragon had tried to take his mother's life for his a year ago, Merlin had promised himself that he would only meet the dragon on his own terms.

'_Merlin'._ The voice was persistent, and growing in force, until it rang a third time and Merlin realized his now aching head could not stand to be disturbed for a fourth time. Mumbling to himself, the servant grabbed his typical brown jacket and red neckerchief, and tied them on as he proceeded to sneak his way out of Gaius's chambers.

The entrance to the dragon's cave was near the bottom of the castle, yet still a ways off from where the dungeons lie. It had been years since Merlin had been intimidated by the guards who were posted near the entrance. While the two men in uniform were normally a sorcerer's greatest nightmare, Merlin had soon learned from Arthur that the two at this entrance were the younger, dumber sons of the nobles Uther hoped to please. And luckily for Merlin, the men were repeated distracted by simple tricks such as dice that threw themselves off the tables.

Merlin snuck past the guards with the same silent footsteps he had learned while training to be the perfect servant for the prince of Camelot. 'And no matter how often they call me a clumsy idiot, they're the ones continuously chasing after the same pair of enchanted dice', Merlin thought as he reached the entrance of the dark stairwell leading to the deepest dungeons. Grabbing an unlit torch once he reached the point where only a glimmer of the light from the guards' torches reached him, Merlin quickly continued on his way, not even pausing as his eyes glowed a magical gold and a flame erupted on his torch, illuminating his path.

Once Merlin reached the bottom of the stairs he exited cautious only the slab of rock that jutted out into the cavern in front of him. The room was large and spacious, yet he had gotten used to seeing the rough stalagmites and stalactites right underneath the largest and most pristine castle in all of Albion. No longer one to gawk at the sights, Merlin turned his attention straight to the reason why he came, the dragon who now was sitting on another ledge a hundred feet in front of him.

"Merlin" the Great Dragon's voice boomed, seeming to echo against the distant walls of the cavern and collide in on said warlock. Yet Merlin was unfazed, he stared straight into the dragon's large golden eyes, each easily larger than the boy's own head, until his confident stance was broken by a yawn he let out as his tiredness began to return slightly.

Soon after he yawned the tiredness seemed to fade back away as he considered the reasons why the dragon had called him. Merlin had kept a policy of only visiting the beast on his terms after the ordeal with Nimue and his mother; it had been years since the two had met for any other reason than trying to stop some magical threat on Arthur's life. "Why did you call me here?"

The dragon repositioned itself, adjusting its huge claws and scaled arms on its perch as its neck leaned in closer to Merlin. "It seems you have finally heeded my call and come to visit me, young warlock. The only question now is if you will fulfill your own words. You once promised you would free me in exchange for my help, and I ask that now be that time."

Feelings of both frustration and relief rose in Merlin. On one hand he was faced with a promise he had never wanted to make, and now it seemed the dragon was finally pushing for his release. But on the other hand, there was a swell of joy, knowing that, even if it was only temporary, Arthur was still safe. A few seconds later the hope won out, yet Merlin felt both emotions pushing into his voice as he asked, "So this doesn't have to do with my destiny?"

"This has everything to do with your destiny! Not that of Arthur or the future of Albion, but with what has already passed. I have received proof that the last Dragonlord is still alive, and in that, the last of my kin. What I am asking you, young warlock, is that you release me now so that I may visit him before it is too late. I am the last of my kind, and he is the last of his."

Merlin tried to process this information, but knew he was missing some pieces. Hoping he could get something more concrete out of the ever cryptic dragon Merlin asked, "Just what is a Dragonlord?"

The dragon, glad that he had the warlock's interest, relaxed back into his mighty position on his perch, saying, "Dragonlords are people of the oldest magic, coming back from the beginnings of the Old Religion. They are the kin of dragons, and no magic is more powerful than the bond they share. It was twenty years ago that Uther Pendragon called all of the Dragonlords to come to Camelot, slaughtering both our kinds and leaving me here to die. Yet now I have word that the last Dragonlord, Balinor, was able to escape his wrath. And that, young warlock, is why you must free me, to keep your promise, and so that I may be with my kin."

Merlin still stands where he is, staying strong despite trying to understand about Dragonlords. He quickly said, "You said that this has to do with my destiny. Why is it that I must be the one to free you, and why should I care so much about the Dragonlords?"

The dragon smiled, secretly expecting that response, and came back saying, "Simply because they are your kin too, Merlin. The Dragonlord, Balinor, escaped to Ealdor shortly after fleeing Camelot, and there he met your mother. I am your kin, Merlin, as Balinor is your father."


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow. Horribly long update time stinks. I suddenly feel pretty hypocritical as I always bug people to hurry up but really, life comes first, and it comes in waves. After trying to push myself to update for about a month and a half I suddenly had inspiration while at the computer (the two seem mutually exclusive most of the time) and tada! This chapter's a tiny bit shorter than the last one, and a lot more lighthearted, so sorry all of you drama lovers, but your time is coming! I hope to not take this long ever again and am actually going to start next chapter tonight, but even if I do finish I'll probably wait a few days to create a buffer.**

**All of you who are still reading this story are amazing, especially you who alerted/favorite this. This one chapter got more hits/alerts/favs/and reviews (my first) than 10 chapters of my other story, so thank you all so much. And an extra special thanks to Morganaforever, if I hadn't known that there was at least one person waiting for an update, I might not have pulled this out, so thank you.**

**And now, on to what you've been waiting for (hopefully, I have yet to meet anyone who only reads the author's note).**

**Disclaimer: If I ever owned Merlin, why would I be writing potential episodes here? They would be on tv, with the real cast, and hopefully season five wouldn't take two months per episode.**

**Feel free to leave a review! It's my first time at Arthur/Merlin banter and I'd love to know what you guys think!**

Merlin squinted in his bed as the sunlight hit his face. He rolled over and started to mumble unintelligibly about day coming a few hours too early before he remembered the dragon's disturbance the night before and groaned. A split second later the secret warlock was sitting fully alert in bed, his head already beginning to process the things he had been told the night before.

The dragon was apparently his kin. Merlin had always felt that type of connection between himself and the beast because of their shared magic in Camelot, so that hadn't come as a shock. But hearing that the dragon knew his father was something entirely different. He had always felt content with just his mother in his life, and Merlin felt that Gaius filled the role of father-figure in his life, but after losing Freya and seeing Arthur's pain over his loss of a parent, Merlin wanted to fill that connection. After all, while the dragon was never straightforward about information and tried to trick him, the creature of magic had never outright lied to the warlock. And he had promised to release him someday…

His mind made up, Merlin prepared to climb out of bed and carry on with his day when he heard the tell-tale creaking of Gaius climbing the stairs. His mentor had an almost uncanny sense of when Merlin was planning magical mischief, and the warlock knew that waking up this early and ready for the day would certainly make the old physician suspicious of his ward. So the young warlock fell back into bed, knocking half of the thin covers onto the floor and trying to quickly settle his way into the small mound that remained.

The whining of un-oiled door hinges was Merlin's cue to close his eyes and roll over. Gaius, who seemed to stay within reach of the door sighed, and called out to his ward. "Merlin! Wake up you lazy boy, it's already an hour past dawn!" Merlin mumbled out loud to prove that he was indeed up, but the excitement that was still buzzing through his veins at the thought of potentially meeting his father made it near impossible to lie still, let alone wake up at the slow pace that he normally would. Luckily the groan was enough, and Gaius was exiting the room when Merlin peaked an eye open to see the old man facing him, a his eyebrow raised despite the deep scowl on his face, "And when you're done with Arthur try cleaning your chambers. I don't see how you manage to be manservant for a prince when you can't even keep your own room organized."

The sound of Gaius retreating down the stairs was Merlin's cue to finally jump out of bed. Within a couple seconds he was fully dressed and ready to go, but took advantage of the extra time to formulate a plan. After breaking the startling news to the warlock of their kinship, Kilgharah had told Merlin that the only way to break the chains under the castle was through a sword forged of magic. Yet Merlin suspected that there were none of those in the city, perhaps excluding the vaults, but the young warlock wasn't planning on getting himself killed before then. That's when Merlin remembered the magical sword he had thrown in Freya's lake the year before. His mind made up, Merlin finally set out of his chamber, ready to finally fulfill the promise he had made when Sigan attacked. The sword made of the dragon's own breath would be what finally set it free.

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><p>Merlin took another breath to calm himself down, the millionth in the less than an hour that he had been awake that morning. Finally ready to face his prince and master, Merlin didn't bother to knock on the door before quickly walking towards the window and opening its curtains with a strong yank to let out some of his lingering impatience. Gaius had accepted his overly cheerful warning that 'the prat swore to finally make me work, and already told me to polish his armor, muck out his horses, and had an extra long day of training today so expect me to be back late' so now all he had to do was get Arthur to swallow an excuse for him being gone for the day and he could finally get the dragon's sword back. So when the prince flopped over in bed with a grumble that was far better than Merlin's acting earlier that morning, the servantwarlock prepared himself to get his first job finished with.

"Good morning sire!" Merlin found no problem letting a happy sarcastic tone into his voice, and tried to tune out Balinor and Dragonlords for at least a minute to dodge the empty goblet that now sat on Arthur's bedside table for the sole purpose of being thrown at his servant every morning.

"You seem overly happy this morning Merlin." Arthur emphasized the beginning of his name with that tone he used when he was overly tired, annoyed, bored, or a mixture of the three. "If you're so eager to do chores today, how about you start with polishing my armor? Then you can sharpen my sword before training with the knights, and muck out my stables… I'm going riding with the Lady Morgana this afternoon, and while I have seen that you are content to live in a constant mess, here you work to keep things clean, and that means that Morgana should not get her new riding boots dirty trying to care for the horses." By this time the prince was giving his servant a pointed look, ready for that banter or complaints that woke him up every morning with a chuckle.

Even though Merlin's back was to his master, the smile on his face seemed to radiate around to reach Arthur, creating that optimistic aura that hung around Merlin as potently as his hidden magic. "Well, sire," Merlin said the word in a way that already had a smile threatening to break out on his 'sire's' face, and made the prince just as glad that Merlin had to turn away to lay out his clothes every morning, "I happen to be ready to do chores today. However, despite the extreme importance of Lady Morgana's riding boots and your boundless ego, Gaius requested that I go out to gather some herbs in the forest. He's really getting too old to make the journey, and the ingredients for Morgana's nightmare drought are much stronger fresh." He turned from where he placed Arthur's tunic over the dressing screen to usher his master in to see a slight, barely noticeable frown on the man's face. "Yes my lord, I understand it is near impossible to imagine actually taking care of yourself without my assistance for a day, but sadly I'm afraid you're get too fat to even fit through the trees."

"I am not fat!" Though the prince was now behind his dressing screen at this point, Merlin knew he was now feeling a bit better.

"Well, even if your belly managed to make it through the trees, your head certainly wouldn't. I frankly don't know how you've managed to not get yourself killed already; your head and butt both make such big targets…"

"Merlin."

"Yes?"

"Shut up"

"Of course sire."

"Idiot."

"Prat."

The same goblet, that had previously landed next to Arthur's dressing screen, now crashed into the wall about two feet from Merlin's head, and the boy took that as his cue to finally fetch the future king's breakfast.


	3. Chapter 3

**There really is no reasonable excuse for a delay this long between updates. All I can say is this is the longest chapter yet- I've already started the next chapter (but I've written all of the previous ones in single sittings so far), and I'll put my longer author's note at the end of the chapter so you can get right to this.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but this story, and honestly, this probably belongs to BBC too because these characters write it themselves.**

Morgana knew as soon as she opened her eyes that today was going to be a turning point in the fate of Camelot. Still, the pounding of her heart and lungs in her chest, the way her eyes sought out the window before darting around the room, and the fear that seemed to course through her blood all told her this premonition came from a nightmare rather than pure instinct.

In fact, as a way to calm herself down from her half forgotten nightmare she shifted through her day and realized it should actually be quite enjoyable. By the high position of the sun in the sky Gwen should be along soon to chit-chat and dress her up for her day in court, Arthur would meet her in the early afternoon after his training to ride with her outside the town and to the edge of Darkling Woods, and hopefully she could convince him to bring their servants along with them, so Merlin could exchange snide remarks with her near-brother while Gwen tries to hide the way she looks at the crown-prince longingly. And maybe she, being much better at hiding her emotions, would go unnoticed as she watched the two lovebirds with a knowing smile, occasionally sharing a glance with Merlin…

Suddenly the peaceful image with her friends shattered in her mind as the image of _Merlin's_ smiling face brought back all the horror that was loaded in that name the night before.

Morgana's breath came rushing from her lungs again as her head swirled with plans of how she could prevent the future that she simply knew her vision would bring. She considered asking Merlin for guidance, after all, the mirthful boy had a wisdom underneath the surface that Arthur and Uther seemed to so easily overlook, not to mention the oddity that the dragon, of all things, had called his name specifically.

But then she considered that it would be better to tell Gaius, after all, he knew not only of her nightmares but of the strength and, though he tried to convince her otherwise, magic they sometimes held. Merlin would hardly believe her if she told him, and even then, she had seen the boy's fear of ever being associated with a sorcerer, despite the times he had been accused as such. She had never seen the boy so cold as when he blamed Arthur's anger at Uther's betrayal as a trick by her own sister. It was so easy to forget with the servant's bright exterior and the way he followed Arthur like a puppy that he was loyal to Uther. Even if he didn't turn her in for her magic, simply the fear that one of her best friends might look at her differently was enough to break Morgana's heart.

She was pulled out of her morbid thoughts by her maidservant entering into the outer parts of her chambers, the nearly silent turn of the doorknob followed by the bounce of the door in motion equal parts grace and clumsiness in a way that only Gwen could possess. Sure enough, the familiar bob of dark hair peeked into her room, followed by Gwen's sugar-sweet smile and usual lilac dress that paused in the doorway as she took in the obvious signs of a bad dream and rushed in, her face now painted with perfectly sincere concern.

"My lady, are you alright?"

Morgana felt her gorgeous smile light her face, the one Uther had been trying to coax out of her for months without success, but her maidservant could bring to her face simply by walking in the room.

"I'm fine Gwen. It was just a bad dream. No worse than usual I'm afraid." She stood and walked over to her dressing screen, Gwen rushing over with the dress she had been thoughtful enough to pick out the night before. It was one of her favorite gowns for many reasons, a rich purple color that matched perfectly with Gwen's lighter shade to draw attention to herself but complement her servant. It was also one of the few things she owned that was fancy enough to wear in the castle during the morning but old and comfortable enough to wear on her leisurely ride in the afternoon; Morgana's smile settled as she realized it would also be perfect for the errands she would need to run during the day.

"Is there anything I can do, my lady?"

"No, just being here every morning makes this much better Gwen. Thank you." Morgana paused to let Gwen know she truly meant it, and felt herself glow as Gwen flushed slightly and smiled even more. "Though I will be visiting Gaius later this morning to ask him about more sleeping draught. I know I took some before I went to bed last night, which means it must be time for him to get some new ingredients."

"Do you want me to talk to him for you while you ride with Arthur?" Gwen, ever the busybody, rushed straight from helping Morgana pull on her dress to arranging a new bouquet of flowers on her dresser, finishing with perfect timing to assist Morgana as she sat down to brush out her hair.

"No, I think you'll have enough to be doing this afternoon Gwen." The two girls' eyes met in the mirror and a smirk plastered Morgana's face, letting Gwen know exactly what her mistress was expecting her to be doing during their ride that afternoon.

"If Merlin's out gathering herbs for your sleeping drought then he won't be able to join us today. And I'm not sure either Arthur or the king would approve of me coming along on a ride that's supposed to be you and Arthur enjoying the afternoon."

Morgana only gave her servant a conspiratorial grin before turning to face her properly. "I believe you underestimate me Gwen. Arthur is even enough to handle, especially if I'm trying to convince him to bring you along and frankly Uther doesn't have any need to know. And in terms of Merlin… I believe I'll have to squeeze in my conversation with Gaius after he's already left to fetch the horses."

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><p>Morgana's smile faltered as she left Gaius's chambers, closing the door behind her. The old physician was always sweet with her, promising her he'd get started on her sleeping draught right away and would have Merlin ride into the forest first thing tomorrow morning to find what he could not buy fresh at the marketplace. Yet it was the way he turned to her when she mentioned the nightmare she had despite the draught, despite the healing bracelet she counted on to keep the dreams away- even though she still used Gaius's potion to keep up with appearances, that bothered her.<p>

Gaius, despite being her caretaker since moving to Camelot and far more of a father than Uther ever was, was still the king's man. Anything related to magic instantly aroused his suspicions, and while his fervent denial of her nightmares being visions relieved her of the stress that he might turn her in, Gaius was no longer able to convince her that her dreams were free of the influence of magic. After all, the way he asked her to describe every detail of her dreams and their meaning convinced her that even he believed otherwise.

Yet despite the distance Morgana found herself unwillingly putting between herself and Gaius compared to the rest of her friends and family at Camelot; there were still very few places she was more comfortable in the entire castle than within the old physician's chambers. The scent of herbs and remedies made her feel more relaxed and peaceful than even her silk bed sheets could after a nightmare, and not only did she find the attention of ever-watchful Gaius over the years, but recently she learned that Merlin and sometimes even Gwen were there to greet and care for her as well. Well, Gwen spent far less time in the physician's chamber ever since she stopped flirting with Merlin and began to plan all her errands with him to coincide with when he was with Arthur… but that was a matter that Morgana knew she could snicker over all afternoon while she watched the lovebirds try to sneak glances at each other while paying attention to her and Merlin during their afternoon ride.

Satisfied that her dream was largely taken care of and confident that she could simultaneously handle her questions for Merlin and her 'plans' for Arthur and Gwen, Morgana straightening herself into the posture that only the king's ward could pull off and set off towards the stables.

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><p>Morgana reached her destination to the sight of Guinevere standing in the courtyard, trying to juggle with holding on to the reins of two of the kingdom's finest horses and holding a conversation with the crown prince at the same time. The small flare of concern Morgana felt for putting her maid in such an awkward situation vanished when Morgana realized that Arthur had a genuine smile on his face, the Prince Arthur equivalent of laughing hysterically, and Gwen was nodding her head down in the cute shameful look she made whenever she believed to have overstepping her boundaries.<p>

Arthur turned to her upon hearing the clicking of her new riding boots – a present he had given her last week after his victory in yet another tournament. "I see the lady herself decided to finally grace us with her presence. How long did you stare at yourself in the mirror this morning anyway?"

"Not nearly as long as it took me to squeeze into these horrible new boots you had Merlin buy for me" Morgana replied, letting Arthur know through her expression that she truly loved the gift. "But for your information, the reason it took so long for me to get here was I had to consider burning them for the crime they committed to my feet walking here from Gaius's chambers."

Arthur's witty response visibly died on his lips at the mention of the visit to Gaius, replaced immediately for concern as he lifted Morgana onto her horse despite the protests she could do it herself. "Merlin told me about your nightmare last night, are you okay Morgana?"

Just to watch Arthur's grin, Morgana twisted her face into a fake pout before glaring at him. "I'm fine, Arthur. Speaking of Merlin, where is he?"

"He went out to fetch the herbs for your drought as soon as Gaius told him this morning." Arthur held her gaze as he said, "he was worried about you Morgana."

Morgana turned her gaze away from Arthur's for a moment towards the town, her mind lost in thoughts of the boy who had been such a bright part of her life ever since his arrival to Camelot when, once again, thoughts of her nightmare returned, and she was filled with a cold sense of dread she rarely experienced outside of the world of her dreams.

**AN: Thank you all so much to everyone who put this on favorites/follow/ or review, though I doubt any of you remember doing that by now… pat you past self on the back. I honestly just logged on to read Supernatural fic this afternoon (it will eat your free time) when I thought to see if anyone stumbled on this recently and lo and behold, a plotbunny did! Really, I planned a grand total of none of these scenes in my original outline… I just wanted a break between last chapter and moving on with the plot and I realized Merlin wasn't doing it for me, and since this is a story about both him and Morgana… this happened.**

**To answer any shipping questions that brought up, yes, this probably will have some undertones of Arwen and Mergana, but more the former than the later, and this is probably the limit of Arwen in this story, unless more chapters like this pop up.**

**Honestly, writing Morgana was refreshing. I love her in season two and could go on and on about how I think she thinks at the time, but I'll just leave it at: if you think I'm wrong (or you're just a great person who loves Morgana too), review or pm me and I'd love to have a discussion about it with you. It'd also probably remind me to write more. And be a good excuse for procrastinating on homework, just saying…**


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